“No.”
“Huh. Okay…So, you’re what? Fucking gay?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t until I met him.”
“Right. Fuck, that’s good to know. So…not gay when I fucking knew you?”
“Nope. No more than you.”
“And I’m fucking not, okay?” A long silence ensued. “So…what’s the fucking attraction, mate? Some gorgeous fucking girls on this island. Man, did you see that—?”
“Maybe not the best time, Squeezy?”
“Yeah. Course. Sorry. But, fuck, I mean…what’s it like? I mean, I don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing fucking against it, I guess, I just don’t—”
“You’ve got a girlfriend, right?”
“You’re damn right I fucking have. I’m not fucking—”
“Okay, then let me describe a typical week for you, okay? I’ll do this once, and then I’m going to sleep, because this hasn’t been a good day for me. Right, Monday you phone her to arrange to see her and she’s seeing friends but she might fit you in—”
“Well, she’s got a lot of—”
“Tuesday, you see her, but she’s not in the mood, because she’s had her nails done and—”
“Hey, come on, that’s fucking—”
“Wednesday, you do cop off with her, but she doesn’t want to mess the clean sheets and makes you do it—”
“This isn’t funny, Diesel, you’re fucking way off—”
“Thursday, she’s round at her mum’s and—”
“Her mum is—”
“Friday’s the big night, right? You’ve looked forward to it all week. She’s up for it, too. You go to bed and it’s over, and then it’s Saturday, and you’ve got a fucking hangover—and she goes shopping. How am I doing so far?”
“You’re a fucking barrel of laughs, you are, mate. And your new arse-bandit lifestyle’s fucking better, is it?”
Ben actually felt cheered up. He just replied, “Yes,” turned on his side and began, very slowly, to relive in his mind every moment of his life with Nikolas, which had indeed been very much better than that.
§ § §
Kate arrived with Gabby mid-morning. Kate had wanted to wait for some communications she’d sent to Russia, and Gabby explained she’d gone briefly into work before first light to catch up on everything she was missing. They’d just reconvened their planning group when Ingrid came in. “Ben, the police are here.” Gabby shot to her feet.
“No!”
Ben put his hand on her arm. “It’s okay, Gabby, they may have some good news.”
She sat back down with a sheepish smile. “Of course, I’m sorry.” She rose again and hugged him tight. “Oh, I do hope so.” He bent down and kissed the top of her head and went out to meet them.
They wanted him to come down to the station with them again. They had a few more questions, they said. Ingrid went immediately and called Jans LaCour. Ben kept asking them if they’d found anything, but they stared stonily out of the window, occasionally commenting to each other on some personal concerns as if he didn’t exist—as if Nikolas didn’t exist. He hadn’t expected a young policewoman from family liaison making him endless cups of tea and offering sympathy and Hobnobs, but he’d expected more than this.
He was led back to the interview room he’d been in before. This time, Jans was waiting for him. Ben, being English, had always assumed anyone who asked for a lawyer when being questioned was naturally guilty, but he’d never been so grateful for anyone’s presence before. When he was asked, “How did you sustain the rope burns to your wrists, Mr Rider? How would you describe your relationship with Mr Beck, Mr Rider? Can you explain how, after he ties you down and beats you, he goes missing, Mr Rider? What did you do after he hit you, Mr Rider?”—instead of trying his best to be helpful, to explain, as he had before, which made him stutter with suspicious confusion, “It was a game. He likes to…I mean, I like him to…well, it was only because I was annoying him about makinghim pregnant. I mean, that was a joke, but I hadn’t let him smoke and he burnt me on the hand. No, I mean, that was another argument earlier,”—now, LaCour sat there next to him, a hand on his arm, and all the police got out of him was, “My client has already answered this sufficiently. That isn’t relevant. My client isn’t required to answer that.”
Benwantedto answer. He was desperate to help, but the relief of not having to go over it all again was immense. How could something that had been such fun between them be made to sound so twisted? Nikolas tying him up slowly, dragging it out, kissing him as he did…the laughter, the teasing, the total focus on each other and their pleasure…the mock interrogation, the beating and spanking, the kissing each bruise better…
He was released again after two hours. Ben begged LaCour to try and get some information out of the detectives about the progress of the investigation, and reluctantly they told him they were doing exactly what he was, concentrating on empty houses on Aeroe. It was winter; it was an impossible task. They mentioned a request for assistance they’d lodged with the mainland and the possibility of sniffer dogs if the weather improved.
